InGaZnO (IGZO) BASED SYSTEM FOR GAS DETECTION AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Abstract

A gas sensor includes a gate electrode; a dielectric layer covering one surface of the gate electrode; an indium (In) gallium (Ga) zinc (Zn) oxide (O) (IGZO) thin-film formed over the dielectric layer, and first and second metallic electrodes formed on a surface of the IGZO thin-film to act as source and drain, respectively. The IGZO thin-film has an In concentration of 11%+/−3%, Ga concentration of 11%+/−3%, Zn concentration of 7%+/−3%, and 0 concentration of 71%+/−3%, with a sum of the concentrations being 100%, and the gas interacts with the IGZO thin-film and changes a current through the IGZO thin-film.

Claims

1. A gas sensor comprising: a gate electrode; a dielectric layer covering one surface of the gate electrodes; an indium (In) gallium (Ga) zinc (Zn) oxide (O) (IGZO) thin-film formed over the dielectric layer, and first and second metallic electrodes formed on a surface of the IGZO thin-film to act as source and drain, respectively, wherein the IGZO thin-film has an In concentration of 11%+/−3%, Ga concentration of 11%+/−3%, Zn concentration of 7%+/'13%, and O concentration of 71%+/−3%, with a sum of the concentrations being 100%, and wherein the gas interacts with the IGZO thin-film and changes a current through the IGZO thin-film.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the In concentration is 11%, the Ga concentration is 11%, the Zn concentration is 7%, and the O concentration is 71%.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the IGZO thin-film is between 5 and 20 nm.

4. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the gate electrode is made of Si, the dielectric layer is made of SiO.sub.2, the IGZO thin-film includes no other materials, and the first and second electrodes are formed directly on the IGZO thin-film.

5. A gas detection system for determining a concentration of a gas, the system comprising: a first transistor having an indium (In) gallium (Ga) zinc (Zn) oxide (O) (IGZO) thin-film formed over a dielectric layer, wherein the IGZO thin-film interacts with the gas and changes a sensing current through the first transistor; a second transistor (T1) electrically connected to the first transistor to form a master branch, wherein the second transistor (T1) has an identical structure as the first transistor, and a corresponding IGZO thin-film is encapsulated with a material to prevent an interaction between the IGZO thin-film of the second transistor (T1) and the gas, while the IGZO thin-film of the first transistor is free to directly interact with the gas; third and fourth transistors (T2, T3) electrically connected to each other and forming a secondary branch, wherein the third and fourth transistors (T2, T3) are identical to the second transistor (T1); and an inverter electrically connected to the third and fourth transistors (T2, T3), wherein the inverter receives a voltage due to (1) a reference current from the third transistor (T2), and (2) a current from the fourth transistor (T3), which is identical to the sensing current of the first transistor, and outputs a digital value indicative of the concentration of the gas.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a gate of the second transistor (T1) is directly connected to a gate of the fourth transistor (T3), and a drain of the first transistor is directly connected to the gate of the first transistor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a source of the first transistor is directly connected to the gates of the second and fourth transistors.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein a supply voltage V.sub.DD1 to the third transistor is selected to correspond to a given concentration of the gas so that if the concentration of the gas is below the given concentration, the inverter generates a 0 value, and if the concentration of the gas is above the given concentration, the inverter generates a 1 value.

9. The system of claim 5, further comprising: an additional secondary branch having fifth and sixth transistors identical to the second transistor and the additional secondary branch is configured identical to the secondary branch; and an additional inverter electrically connected to the fifth and sixth transistors.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a supply voltage V.sub.DD1 to the third transistor is selected to correspond to a first given concentration of the gas, and a supply voltage V.sub.DD2 to the fifth transistor is selected to correspond to a second given concentration of the gas, which is larger than the first given concentration, so that (a) when the concentration of the gas is below the first given concentration, the inverter generates a 0 value and the additional inverter generates a 0 value, (b) when the concentration of the gas is above the first given concentration but below the second given concentration, the inverter generates a 1 value and the additional inverter generates a 0 value, and (c) when the concentration of the gas is above the second given concentration, the inverter generates a 1 value and the additional inverter generates a 1 value.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the secondary branch and the additional secondary branch have the same supply voltage, and dimensions of the third and fourth transistors are different from dimensions of the fourth and fifth transistors.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein no analog to digital circuitry is used to generate the digital value indicative of the concentration of the gas.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the first transistor comprises: a gate electrode; the dielectric layer covering one surface of the gate electrode; the IGZO thin-film formed over the dielectric layer, and first and second metallic electrodes formed on a surface of the IGZO thin-film to act as source and drain, respectively, wherein the IGZO thin-film has an In concentration of 11%+/−3%, Ga concentration of 11%+/−3%, Zn concentration of 7%+/−3%, and O concentration of 71%+/−3% with a total sum of the concentrations being 100%.

14. A gas detection system for determining a concentration of a gas, the system comprising: a first transistor having a gate electrically connected to a drain; a second transistor (T1) having a gate connected to a variable power source; and an inverter connected to a source of the first transistor and to a drain of the second transistor (T1), wherein the first transistor includes an indium (In) gallium (Ga) zinc (Zn) oxide (O) (IGZO) thin-film, which is exposed to an ambient, wherein the second transistor includes a corresponding IGZO thin-film, which is encapsulated to not be exposed to the ambient, and wherein for each applied voltage V.sub.GS at the gate of the second transistor T1, the inverter receives a voltage due to a sensing current generated by the first transistor and a reference current generated by the second transistor, and generates a digital value indicative of the concentration of the gas.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein plural, discrete, voltages V.sub.GS are applied successively at the gate of the second transistor T1 to successively generate corresponding digital values associated with the concentration of the gas.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the inverter has a given threshold voltage, and the sensing current and the reference current applied to the inverter determine an inverter voltage, and when the sensing current is less than the reference current, an output digital value is 1, and 0 otherwise.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each applied voltage V.sub.GS generates a corresponding 1 or 0 value so that a final output of the inverter includes a sequence of 1s and 0s, and a number of the digits in the sequence are equal to the number of applied voltages V.sub.GS.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each sequence of 1s and Os corresponds to a given gas concentration range.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first transistor comprises: a gate electrode; the dielectric layer covering one surface of the gate electrode; the IGZO thin-film formed over the dielectric layer, and first and second metallic electrodes formed on a surface of the IGZO thin-film to act as source and drain, respectively, wherein the IGZO thin-film has an In concentration of 11%+/−3%, Ga concentration of 11%+/−3%, Zn concentration of 7%+/−3%, and O concentration of 71%+/−3% with a total sum of the concentrations being 100%.

20. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Fora more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a process for making an IGZO thin-film based sensor;

[0019] FIG. 2 is an overall view of the IGZO thin-film based sensor for measuring a gas concentration;

[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis of the IGZO thin-film;

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates the absorbance of the IGZO thin-film;

[0022] FIG. 5A illustrates the transfer characteristics and FIG. 5B illustrates the output characteristics of an IGZO thin-film-transistor (TFT);

[0023] FIG. 6A shows the repeatable transfer characteristics and FIG. 6B shows the repeatable output characteristics at constant bias of the IGZO TFT at room temperature;

[0024] FIG. 7 shows a test setup for measuring various properties of the IGZO TFT gas sensor;

[0025] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate various characteristics of the IGZO TFT gas sensor while FIGS. 8C to 8F illustrate the sensitivity of the various characteristics of the IGZO TFT gas sensor to various concentrations of the measured gas;

[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates the recovery of the IGZO TFT gas sensor, after interacting with the gas, under various light conditions;

[0027] FIG. 10 illustrates the transfer characteristics of the IGZO TFT gas sensor after exposure to a given gas concentration when purged with and without N.sub.2;

[0028] FIG. 11 illustrates the composition of the various components of the IGZO thin-film as a function of a depth of the IGZO thin-film;

[0029] FIGS. 12A to 12C illustrate how the gas interacts with the IGZO thin-film and how the light emitted by an LED device removes the gas from the IGZO thin-film;

[0030] FIG. 13A illustrates a common source configuration of a IGZO based transistor while FIG. 13B illustrates the transient response of the IGZO based transistor after a 3 minute exposure to various concentrations of the gas;

[0031] FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate the variations of the threshold voltage and the drain current of the transistor in response to various gases;

[0032] FIG. 15 illustrates a diode-connected transistor configuration of the IGZO based transistor;

[0033] FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate the transient response of the IGZO based transistor of FIG. 15 after 3 minutes of exposure to various concentrations of the measured gas;

[0034] FIG. 17 illustrates a system for measuring the concentration of a gas based on an IGZO transistor;

[0035] FIG. 18 illustrates the bit response of the system shown in FIGS. 17;

[0036] FIG. 19 illustrates a multibit system, which is an extension of the single-bit system shown in FIG. 17, for measuring the concentration of a gas based on the IGZO transistor by simultaneous bit generation;

[0037] FIG. 20 illustrates the multi-bit response of the system shown in FIG. 19;

[0038] FIG. 21 illustrates the various concentration ranges of the detected gas with the system of FIG. 19;

[0039] FIG. 22A illustrates another system for measuring the concentration of a gas based on the IGZO transistor by sequential bit generation and FIG. 22B illustrates its physical configuration;

[0040] FIG. 23 illustrates the various concentration ranges of the detected gas with the system of FIGS. 22A and 22B;

[0041] FIG. 24 illustrates the multi-bit response of the system shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B;

[0042] FIGS. 25A and 25B illustrate the response of the IGZO thin-film in the resistive mode after exposure to various concentrations of the gas; and

[0043] FIG. 26 is a flow chart of a method for measuring the concentration of a gas with a system having an IGZO based transistor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] The following description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The following embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with regard to a TFT IGZO based sensor that detects NO.sub.2. However, the embodiments to be discussed next are not limited to a NO.sub.2 sensor, but may be applied to sensors that detect other gases or liquids.

[0045] Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0046] According to an embodiment, a CMOS compatible gas sensor using IGZO as the active layer for sensing NO.sub.2 at room temperature, without continuous light activation, is discussed. The gas sensor is configured to recover after exposure to the gas through light illumination, which is a more power-efficient solution than existing MOS gas sensors, because it does not require a high temperature or continuous light activation for sensing. State of the art gas sensing systems are expensive, power-hungry, and bulky, impeding their large scale deployment for air quality monitoring stations. Thin-film electronic microsystems discussed herein use a passivated IGZO channel n-type TFT and a non-passivated channel TFT as the NO.sub.2 gas sensor. One of these microsystems yields a 5-bit digital output corresponding to the NO.sub.2 concentration without any additional hardware for readout/amplifying and analog to digital conversion (ADC). Other microsystems are also presented.

[0047] According to an embodiment, a bottom gate, top contact, IGZO TFT based gas sensor is fabricated so that the IGZO material serves the dual role of a channel layer for the transistor and also as a sensing layer to detect the NO.sub.2 gas. As previously discussed, this device may detect other gases, but for simplicity, only the NO.sub.2 gas is discussed herein. A bottom to top approach for fabricating the IGZO TFT is shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, an n-type doped silicon (Si) wafer 102 with (100) orientation is used to serve as the bottom gate electrode. Then, the Si wafer is thoroughly cleaned to remove the organic and metal impurities by dipping in, for example, a Piranaha solution, for 5 minutes, and to remove native oxides by dipping it in buffered oxide etch solution for 5 minutes. Subsequently, a layer 104 of silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2) having a thickness of 150 nm (other values may be used) was deposited through thermal oxidation in a thermal furnace to serve as the gate oxide (dielectric film) for the IGZO TFT 100. In the following, as the transistor 100 is also used to detect the concentration of the gas, the term “transistor” is used interchangeably with the term “sensor.” An IGZO thin-film 106 (e.g., having a thickness of about 10 nm, but other thickness between 5 and 60 nm may be used) is deposited by RF sputtering (other methods may be used) using an IGZO target (In.sub.2O.sub.3—Ga.sub.2O.sub.3—ZnO 1:1:2 mol %). The sputtering may be performed at 60 W RF Power in the presence of Argon/Oxygen (20 SCCM/3 SCCM) plasma at 5 mtorr deposition pressure. A rapid thermal processing (RTP) may be applied to the device, to improve the TFT device stability, and the RTP may be performed at 500° C. for 4 minutes in the oxygen ambience. Interdigitated top electrodes made of titanium (Ti)/gold (Au) 108 are then deposited on the IGZO thin-film 106, using a lift-off process, which is followed by a photolithography process to pattern the interdigitated electrodes. The metal deposition is performed with a DC magnetron sputtering at 400 W in the presence of Ar plasma to yield 10 nm and 100 nm thickness of Ti and Au respectively. Other thicknesses for the electrodes may be used and also other processes for making the electrodes may be used, for example, thermal evaporation.

[0048] A schematic illustration of the sensor 100 is shown in FIG. 2. The IGZO thin-film 106 is very smooth, with a mean roughness of 0.23 nm. To overcome the problems of the IGZO based sensors discussed in the Background section, the inventors have discovered that the concentrations of the In, Ga, Zn and O elements in the IGZO thin-film 106 influence the recovery of the thin-film after interacting with the NO.sub.2 gas. More specifically, the inventors have observed that by selecting the In concentration to be in a certain range, makes the IGZO thin-film to quickly recover by removing the NO.sub.2 gas after it interacts with the IGZO thin-film 106, with the help of a low electrical field that is generated as discussed later. In addition, by selecting the concentration of the elements of the IGZO thin-film to be within certain ranges, which are discussed next, the time required to desorb the nitrogen from the active layer decreases dramatically when compared to the existing devices, so that there is no need for a continuous illumination of the active layer for the recovery process.

[0049] The individual concentrations of the elements making up the active layer 106 of the sensor 100 were analyzed with a high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and FIG. 3 illustrates the results for each element of the IGZO thin-film 106. For the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the concentration of the In is 11.28%, the concentration of the Ga is 10.74%, the concentration of the Zn is 6.80%, and the concentration of the O is 71.17% in terms of weight. The inventors have observed that if any one or more of these concentrations deviate by not more than 10% from the values listed above, the advantageous properties of the IGZO thin-film 106 discussed herein still hold. In other words, in one embodiment, the In concentration is 11%, the Ga concentration is 11%, the Zn concentration is 7% and the O concentration is 71%. However, in another embodiment, the In concentration is 11%+/−3%, the Ga concentration is 11%+/−3%, the Zn concentration is 7%+/−3% and the O concentration is 71%+/−3% with a total sum of the concentrations being 100%. To describe these variations in the concentrations of the individual elements for which the recovery of the IGZO layer 106 are maintained, in the following, the term “substantially” is used to refer to these concentrations, and this term means that the value to which it refers can vary by +/−5%. In other words, an In concentration of substantially 11% means that it can be between 11+5% and 11−5%. In one application, no other materials are part of the IGZO thin-film except those listed above.

[0050] The sensor 100 having the elements In, Ga, Zn and O with substantially the concentrations noted above shows good absorbance in the UV and blue wavelength regime, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In this regard, note that the sensor 100 has a first peak light absorbance 400 at about 220 nm and a second peak light absorbance 402 at about 350 nm. In one implementation, the rapid thermal processing is performed on the sensor to improve the TFT device stability.

[0051] The IGZO TFT 100 was characterized using a semiconductor parameter analyzer. The sensor 100 shows an ON/OFF ratio of ˜10.sup.7, high linear mobility (0.23 Cm.sup.2V.sup.−1s.sup.−1), low subthreshold swing (0.49 V dec.sup.−1), and stable electrical characteristics. The transfer and output characteristics of the fabricated sensor 100, at various bias voltages, are presented in FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively. Existing IGZO TFTs were reported to possess instabilities due to the traps within the channel layer, resulting in a threshold voltage (Vth) shift due to the bias stress. This can be minimized through fabrication process strategies. The sensor 100 was optimized to have minimal instabilities through the RTP process, and the stability of the sensor is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. These figures show the repeatable transfer and repeatable output at constant bias, at room temperature.

[0052] Multiple IGZO TFTs 100 were tested to characterize their gas response, for various toxic gases in a tailor-made gas configured system 700 as shown in FIG. 7. The system 700 includes a test chamber 702 having a gas inlet 704 through which any desired gas is introduced into the test chamber. The sensor 100 was placed inside the test chamber 702. The test chamber also has a gas exhaust 706, which is used to remove the studied gas. An electrical interface 708 of the test chamber is connected to a light source 703 and to a communication network 710, which is also connected to a computing system 712, a voltage source 714, a semiconductor parameter analyzer 716, an oscilloscope 718, and a multimeter 720. One or more of these instruments communicate with the interface 708, and can apply a desired voltage, current, power or other parameters to the sensor 100. The interface 708 may also be used to measure various characteristics of the sensor 100 and also to introduce add-ons such as light source 703.

[0053] A source light 703 is also placed inside the test chamber 702, for illuminating the sensor 100, as discussed later, to recover the active layer 106 after interacting with the studied gas. The source light 703 may be an LED, having a desired wavelength. The source light 703 may be controlled from the computing system 712, through the communication network 710 and interface 708. The system 700 further includes various gas containers 730, 732, for generating a desired gas to be tested in the test chamber. A mass flow controller 734, which is controlled by the computing device 712, may control the flow of the desired gas having the desired concentration.

[0054] The concentrations of the various gases supplied to the test chamber 702 for testing the sensor 100 were controlled by diluting them with nitrogen (N.sub.2), from the gas container 732. The N.sub.2 gas was used as the carrier gas. The N.sub.2 gas was also used during the recovery of the active layer 106. The inventors have found that the semiconducting properties of the IGZO based sensor 100 are susceptible to the NO.sub.2 adsorption at room temperature, as illustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8B. For this investigation, the transfer (FIG. 8A) and output characteristics (FIG. 8B) of the IGZO TFTs were monitored every minute after exposing the sensor 100 to various concentrations (100 ppb to 5 ppm) of the NO.sub.2 gas at room temperature. The transfer characteristics and output characteristics were measured by keeping V.sub.DS=1 V and V.sub.GS=15 V, respectively. It was observed that with the increase in the NO.sub.2 gas concentration, there was a positive shift in the V.sub.th and a decrease in the drain current (ID) of the TFT. These findings are consistent with the reported IGZO TFT based sensors [4, 6], as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

[0055] There was a substantial change in the V.sub.th and ID of IGZO TFTs, which is proportional to the concentration of the NO.sub.2 gas, as illustrated in FIGS. 8D and 8E, respectively. Thus, any of these two parameters may be measured for estimating the concentration of the measured gas. The IGZO TFT parameters, such as linear field-effect mobility, subthreshold swing, and transconductance in the presence of the NO.sub.2 gas, were extracted from transfer characteristics. It was observed that with the increase in the NO.sub.2 concentration, the transconductance (see FIG. 8F) and the linear field-effect mobility (see FIG. 8C), which determine the conductivity and electronic transport of carriers in the channel, were proportionally reduced. The subthreshold swing (which describes the steepness of the I.sub.D transition from the OFF state to the ON state) increased with the rising NO.sub.2 concentration as shown in FIG. 8C. The variation in these parameters indicates that there was adequate depletion of the charge carriers from the IGZO channel 106's surface due to the interaction with the NO.sub.2 gas, as described by equation (1) below.

[0056] The NO.sub.2 gas is a strong oxidizing agent and thus, the surface carriers of the IGZO channel 106 are involved in the reduction of the NO.sub.2 gas molecules, as described by equation:

NO.sub.2(gas)+e.sup.−(IGZO surface).fwdarw.NO.sub.2.sup.−(ads).   (1)

The response of the threshold voltage V.sub.th and the drain current I.sub.D are given by the following equations:

Response(%)(V.sub.th)=V.sub.th after exposure−V.sub.th pristine device/V.sub.th pristine device, 100,   (2)

Response(%)(I.sub.D)=I.sub.D after exposure−I.sub.D pristine device/I.sub.D pristine device, 100.   (3)

[0057] From the transfer and output characteristics of the IGZO TFT and as shown in FIGS. 8D and 8E, the response (%) in terms of V.sub.th and I.sub.D was measured using the formula given by equation (2) and equation (3), respectively. The V.sub.th was extracted from the linear extrapolation of the √{square root over (I)}.sub.DS−V.sub.GS curve. The variation in the I.sub.D was maximum in the saturation region; hence, the sensors 100 were operated in saturation to assess the sensing performance.

[0058] For a gas or chemical sensor, a fast recovery of the device is desired because during the recovery period, the sensor cannot be used, and thus, potentially important information is missed. Because the channel 106 of the TFT 100 was oxidized after NO.sub.2 exposure, these sensors cannot be recovered, unless external energy is provided, even after a prolonged N.sub.2 purge (see FIG. 8A) due to the strong bonding of the gas molecules to the active area of the channel 106. This is a known problem of the existing sensors using IGZO as the active layer [4, 6]. The semiconducting channel properties could be revived only after the application of some external energy.

[0059] Hence, the inventors explored the recovery of the TFT sensor by using light activation, as the IGZO material is reported to have excellent photoelectric characteristics [7]. Therefore, the inventors have evaluated the IGZO TFT sensor 100's recovery performance after exposure to 5 ppm of the NO.sub.2 gas by illuminating the sensor with various commercial light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 703 such as UV LED (400 nm), Blue LED (˜450 nm), White LED and Red LED (˜635 nm), having the same intensity (˜1 mW/cm.sup.2), and all of them being mounted at about 2 cm above the active area, as illustrated in FIG. 7. It was found that the gas exposed sensors were completely regenerated after the illumination with only UV, blue, and white light, but not regenerated with the red light. This observation is consistent with the absorbance spectra shown in FIG. 4, which indicates a strong absorbance of the UV and blue wavelengths for the sensor 100, and it is close to zero for the red spectrum.

[0060] The inventors also noted that the recovered sensors responded again to the NO.sub.2 gas as the pristine sensors, i.e., no degradation of the sensitivity was observed. In this respect, the corresponding response and revival times are shown in FIG. 9, for the UV 800, blue 810, white 820, and red 830 light. The graph shows the pristine response 840 of the sensor (i.e., no prior gas interaction of the channel region), the gas interaction response 842 after the channel region of the sensor has interacted with the gas and the channel region was not regenerated, the revival response 844 of the active layer after 3 min of UV light exposure, 5 min of blue light exposure, and 10 min of white light exposure, and the sensor's gas response 846 after recovery. FIG. 9 also shows the no revival response 848 of the sensor 100 when exposed to the red light.

[0061] The inventors also noticed that the recovery time with the UV LED (3 min) was much shorter than with Blue LED (5 min) and White LED (10 min) in the presence of the N.sub.2 purge. However, the UV LEDs are harmful to human health and more expensive than the blue LEDs; hence, the rest of the experiments discussed herein were conducted with the Blue LED alone. The light-activated recovery time without the N.sub.2 purge was longer than in the presence of the N.sub.2 purge during revival, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0062] The sensing and recovery mechanisms for the sensors 100 were investigated by the inventors in view of the individual role of the elements that make up the IGZO thin-film 106. This investigation of the individual role of the Indium (In), Gallium (Ga) and Zinc (Zn) in the IGZO TFTs revealed that the concentration of these elements determine the electrical properties of the TFTs due to the electronic band structures in the IGZO composite. In this regard, the In concentration determines the conductivity of the channel 106, the Ga concentration determines the OFF current that can be tuned to control the ON/OFF ratio, and the Zn concentration determines the subthreshold swing of the TFT. The concentration of the In in the IGZO thin-film determines the sensitivity to the NO.sub.2 gas at room temperature. A previous study [8] showed that the In concentration in the IGZO composite determined the NO.sub.2 absorption at low temperatures. The higher the In concentration, the higher the sensitivity to the NO.sub.2 gas in the chemiresistive based sensor at a temperature less than 150° C.

[0063] In this regard, a high-resolution RBS analysis of the IGZO thin-film 106, was conducted by the inventors, for the precise determination of the depth profile of the various elements of the active IGZO layer used in the sensor 100. The results of this analysis are shown in FIG. 11. The average compositions of the various elements are plotted in this figure versus the depth of the IGZO thin-film 106, for a 10.8 nm thick layer. This analysis indicates that the higher concentrations of In in the thin-film led to an increase in the carrier density, which makes the IGZO TFT sensor more sensitive to the NO.sub.2 gas.

[0064] X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Kelvin probe force microscopy analyses were also performed on the IGZO thin-film to understand the effects of the NO.sub.2 absorption. Three conditions of vacuum processed IGZO thin-film were used for the XPS studies: a) as-deposited IGZO sputtered film, b) RTP annealed IGZO thin-film (active layer used to fabricate NO.sub.2 Sensor) and c) NO.sub.2 exposed on RTP annealed IGZO thin-film. When the de-convoluted O-1s peaks of these conditions are compared, which correspond to the oxygen in the lattice (M-O), oxygen deficiencies (M-O.sub.Vac) (oxygen vacancies) and weakly bonded hydroxyl groups (M-OH), they are found to be centered at the binding energies of 530.3±0.1 eV, 531.3±0.1 eV, 532.3±0.1 eV, respectively. Previous studies have shown that these components reflect the electrical behavior of the IGZO TFTs in terms of the shift in V.sub.th, ON/OFF current, and field-effect mobility. The M-O peak corresponds to the conducting pathways in the channel and improved mobility of the charge carriers, whereas the M-O.sub.Vac peak and M-OH correspond to the carrier concentration, defects, and trap sites in the film. When comparing the areas under O-1s peaks of these conditions, it was observed the improvement in the M-O % and the reduction in M-O.sub.Vac and M-OH % after RTP annealing, as compared to the non-annealed device, which indicates a fewer numbers of trap sites and improved carrier density. This reflects a better performance in terms of stability and ON current, which is in line with other studies.

[0065] To study the effect of the NO.sub.2 adsorption, an XPS analysis was performed on an RTP annealed device after prolonged exposure to the NO.sub.2 gas. The O-1S peak after gas exposure shows a decrease in M-O % and a slight increase in both the M-O.sub.Vac % and M-OH %. Variations in the O-1s peaks indicate an increase in the trap sites and scattering centers within a few nm of the IGZO thin-film, affecting the charge carriers and their mobility. The observed electrical behavior after the NO.sub.2 gas exposure, such as the reduced ON current, decreased mobility and positive shift in V.sub.th, are consistent with the increase in the surface defects.

[0066] A Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) analysis was also performed to understand the IGZO surface interaction with the NO.sub.2 gas. The KPFM images of the pristine IGZO thin-film and of the thin-film immediately after exposure to the NO.sub.2 gas show the measured contact potential difference (CPD), which is defined as CPD=(ϕ.sub.tip−ϕ.sub.sample)/e, where is the work function. KPFM scanning was performed over an area of 500 nm×500 nm. It was found that the CPD value increased with the NO.sub.2 gas exposure, showing a maximum value at the top and gradually decreasing as scanning progressed to the bottom of the surface due to the desorption of the NO.sub.2 molecules. An average CPD value after exposure is considered to be indicative of the work function. A shift in the work function toward vacuum level indicates the presence of a negative charge on the surface due to ionized NO.sub.2 molecules (NO.sub.2.sup.−). From the KPFM analysis, the inventors concluded that the NO.sub.2 molecules 1200 were absorbed on the surface of the IGZO thin-film 106, as depicted in the schematic of the sensor 100 in FIG. 12A. The XPS analysis and electrical characteristics indicate that the adsorbed NO.sub.2 molecules 1200 depleted the charge carriers 1210 (see positions 1220 that are indicative of the missing electrons 1210) from the channel 106, as shown in FIG. 12B. However, when the blue light 1202 generated by the blue LED device 703 is turned on to recover the active layer 106, as illustrated in FIG. 12C, pairs of hole-electrons are formed, and the NO.sub.2 molecules are removed from the active layer 106 by absorbing one member of the pairs.

[0067] In polycrystalline materials or materials with higher effective area, gas molecules diffuse through the grain boundaries where higher temperatures are required for active sensing and recovery. The IGZO thin-film 106 used for the sensor 100 is smooth, with a mean roughness of 0.23 nm, and it is an amorphous semiconductor without grain boundaries. Hence, there is a low probability for gas molecule diffusions. Restricting the gas molecules to the IGZO surface requires minimal energy to desorb them, and thus, it is possible to achieve the recovery with the light from the LED 703 as illustrated in FIG. 12C. Observations of the recovery process with LED 703, after the NO.sub.2 gas exposure, suggest that the photo-carrier generation (schematically illustrated in FIG. 12C) plays a large role in regenerating the active layer by desorbing the ionized molecules (NO.sub.2.sup.−). The holes 1230 generated in the IGZO thin-film 106 (see FIG. 12C) upon illumination neutralize the ionized molecules (NO.sub.2.sup.−) and desorb them from the surface as described by equation (4) below. The presence of the N.sub.2 during the recovery helps in sweeping away the desorbed molecules making the recovery time shorter. This desorption mechanism is shown in FIG. 12C, and it is consistent with the reported desorbing of O.sub.2.sup.− molecules on n-type metal oxides and light-activated metal oxide gas sensors. The desorption of the ionized molecules (NO.sub.2.sup.−) under light is described by:

NO.sub.2.sup.−(ads)+h.sup.+(photo generated−hv).fwdarw.NO.sub.2(gas).   (4)

[0068] The performance of the IGZO TFT sensor 100 has been investigated in the common source (CS) configuration, as shown in FIG. 13A. The common source configuration is characterized by the gate of the transistor 100 being electrically connected to the source, through a voltage source described by V.sub.GS in the figure. Also, a resistor R.sub.D is connected between the drain of the transistor and the power supply V.sub.DD. The TFT 100 was operated with V.sub.DS=10V and V.sub.GS=15V. In this configuration, the effect on the change in the current I.sub.D was more significant after exposure to the NO.sub.2 gas 1300, and measured in terms of the voltage VR across the resistor R.sub.D, which is V.sub.R=V.sub.DS−ΔI.sub.DR.sub.D.

[0069] In this mode, the transient response of the TFT was acquired for various concentrations of the NO.sub.2 gas (from 100 ppb to 5 ppm), as shown in FIG. 13B. The TFT film was exposed to the NO.sub.2 gas for 3 minutes in each case. Then, after reaching the saturated response, the TFT film was recovered by being illuminated with the blue light, (which is represented as the shaded region 1310 in FIG. 13B). The recovery time due to the illumination was proportional to the exposed concentration of the NO.sub.2 gas, i.e., the higher the concentration due to the exposure, the higher the extent of the electron-hole pair generation required to recover the depleted channel.

[0070] The responsivity of the sensor for the 0.1 ppm and 5 ppm concentration exposure to the NO.sub.2 gas for 3 minutes was 37% and 1330%, respectively, as also shown in FIG. 13B. A reproducibility study was conducted for 5 ppm of the NO.sub.2 gas in the CS configuration and the repeatability response showed that the device was completely recovered by the blue LED, and the response was reproducible at room temperature. The response of the IGZO TFT based sensors when recovered with a high temperature has been shown [4] to decrease after a few cycles due to a partial recovery. In contrast, the sensor 100's response was found to remain stable for multiple cycles when revived with the LED light discussed above. The inventors have also tested the same sensor after 40 days by keeping it in air and the response was the same as that of a pristine sensor, indicating the stability of the sensor in air.

[0071] The inventors have found that the fabricated IGZO sensor 100's sensitivity is better than that of the previously reported TFT based NO.sub.2 sensors, and the reported MOS devices require either a high temperature (larger than 100° C.) or a complete UV activation for sensing and recovery, whereas the sensor 100 needs only visible light activation, and only during the revival stage.

[0072] The inventors have also evaluated the IGZO TFTs' response to various harmful oxidizing and reducing gases. The IGZO based sensor 100 was found to be highly selective to the NO.sub.2 gas because of its strong oxidizing nature. The response to 1 ppm NO.sub.2 was higher than to 100 ppm of other gases, such as sulphur dioxide (SO.sub.2), ammonia (NH.sub.3), hydrogen (H.sub.2), methane (CH.sub.4), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), as illustrated in FIGS. 14A and 14B. Variations in the V.sub.th and I.sub.D from the transfer and output characteristics show the high selectivity of the IGZO TFT toward the NO.sub.2 gas because of its dominant oxidizing nature, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B.

[0073] The IGZO TFT sensor 100 was also evaluated in the diode configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, to study the transient variation in the V.sub.th. In this configuration, which is defined by the gate being electrically connected to the drain and the supply voltage V.sub.DD, the TFT was operated in saturation (V.sub.DD=V.sub.G=15V), and the voltage across the resistor R (150 kΩ in this case) is measured with a precision multimeter. The transient analysis was carried out in a similar manner as for the CS configuration of FIG. 13A, and the threshold voltage V.sub.th was calculated from the measured voltages (e.g., ΔV.sub.th=−ΔV.sub.R) and it is shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, for various concentrations (from 0.1 ppm to 5 ppm) of the NO.sub.2 gas. The repeatability of the detection for this configuration was carried out for 2.5 ppm of the NO.sub.2 gas, and the results showed that the response is consistent and reproducible when the TFT is used for detection multiple times.

[0074] Based on the above studies of the IGZO TFT based sensor 100, the inventors have designed an integrated smart sensor system that can be directly integrated with CMOS electronics or Internet of Things (IoT) sensory nodes for measuring gas concentrations. Two different configurations of such a microsystem are now discussed, one of them to be operated in a parallel or flash mode and the other one in a sequential mode. Each configuration includes at least the IGZO TFT based sensor 100, with the IGZO thin-film 106 directly exposed to the environment for interacting with the gas to be measured, and another IGZO TFT based sensor, which has the active IGZO layer passivated, but otherwise being identical to sensor 100. In one application, the active IGZO layer of the other IGZO TFT based sensor is passivated using a chemical vapor deposition of Parylene-C. This passivated sensor serves to make the TFT insensitive to the ambience.

[0075] In one application, the passivation of the TFT is achieved by using chemical vapor deposition of Parylene-C (˜1.2 μm thick) in a three-chamber system. In the first chamber, the precursor (2.5 g) was heated at 175° C. under vacuum to generate dimeric vapors. The dimeric vapors were cleaved to monomer gas in the second chamber at an elevated temperature of 650° C. In the third chamber, the monomer gas was deposited and self-assembled to form the Parylene-C on top of the Si/SiO.sub.2/IGZO substrate at 10.sup.−6 mBar vacuum level. Other methods that are compatible with the IGZO may be used to passivate the active layer 106 and other materials than the Parylene-C may also be used.

[0076] The non-passivated and passivated TFTs allow to design the system with minimal components, no need for analog to digital converters, and readout circuits. In this regard, note that a gas detection sensor, in order to be easily accessible and deployable in a practical environment, needs to be cheap and require a very low amount of energy. The two systems are now discussed in more detail.

[0077] The first system, or the flash system 1700, is illustrated in FIG. 17 and it can be tuned to simultaneously generate an output represented by plural digits indicative of the NO.sub.2 gas concentration detected by the sensor 100. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the flash system 1700 is a current mirror circuit having (1) a master branch 1710 including the IGZO TFT sensor 100 configured in the diode configuration, and (2) a secondary branch 1720 including a passivated IGZO TFT T2 (which is identical to the sensor 100, except for the passivation of the active IGZO layer). The master branch 1710 further includes another passivated IGZO TFT T1 while the secondary branch 1720 further includes a second passivated IGZO TFT T3. The transistors T1 and T3 may be identical to the transistor T2. It is noted that the transistor 100 acts as a sensor because the IGZO thin-film 106 is not passivated while the transistors T1 to T3 cannot act as sensors because their active layer is passivated, i.e., cannot interact with the ambient gas. The sensor 100 is coupled with its drain D to a supply voltage V.sub.DD and the sensor T2 is coupled with its drain D to a different supply voltage V.sub.DD1.

[0078] The gates G of the transistors T1 and T3 are coupled directly to each other and to the source S of the sensor 100, as shown in FIG. 17A, to achieve the mirror circuit, i.e., the sensor current I.sub.sensor generated by the sensor 100 as a consequence of its interaction with the detected gas (NO.sub.2) is mirrored in the secondary branch 1720, and provided at the drain D of the sensor T3. In this way, an inverter logic gate 1730 (called herein the “inverter”), which is connected to the source S of the transistor T2 and to the drain D of the transistor T3, receives the current I2 from the transistor T2 and the current I.sub.sensor from the transistor T3. However, the current I.sub.sensor is the current generated by the sensor 100 due to the interaction with the detected gas, while the current I2 is the current generated by the transistor T2, which is encapsulated, and thus, it is immune from the interaction with the detected gas. In other words, the inverter 1730 receives the current I.sub.sensor that is modified by the detected gas and the current I2, which is not modified by the detected gas, and by comparing these two currents, which are generated by identical transistors, it is possible (through prior calibration) to estimate the concentration of the detected gas. In this sense, as discussed above with regard to FIGS. 8D and 8E, both the threshold voltage Vth and the drain current I.sub.D of the sensor 100 are proportionally affected by the concentration of the detected gas. Thus, by choosing one of these parameters, for example, the drain current, and monitoring its deviation from the current of the encapsulated transistor, it is possible to determine the concentration of the gas interacting with the non-encapsulated sensor 100.

[0079] In other words, the master branch 1710 controls the current in the secondary branch 1720, and thus, the current I.sub.sensor in the master branch will decrease with the increase in the NO.sub.2 gas concentration, as observed in the diode configuration and the CS configuration. The I.sub.2 is the current in the secondary branch, which is dependent on the I.sub.sensor and the V.sub.DD1 supply. By holding the V.sub.DD1 constant, the current I.sub.2 will be only dependent on the current I.sub.sensor. Thus, the inverter 1730 would be able to monitor the changes in the current I.sub.sensor, as the current I2 is constant. FIG. 18 shows that with the increase in the concentration of the NO.sub.2 gas, from 1 ppm, to 2.5 ppm to 5 ppm, the current I.sub.2 is decreasing, and the correspondingly voltage V-Inv2 at a second inverter 1732 input is increasing. Note that the second inverter 1732 is connected to the output of the first inverter 1730 to produce a more clearer indication about when the sensed current I.sub.sensor changes relative to the current I.sub.2, i.e., when the current is above a given threshold and also to generate digital bits where the 1s correspond to a high voltage, and the 0s correspond to a low voltage.

[0080] In this regard, the voltage supply V.sub.DD1 at the secondary branch 1720 can be used to tune the baseline of the current I.sub.2 and the input inverter voltage, so that the voltage V.sub.DD1 triggers, in one example, the transition in the inverter for the response proportional to 1 ppm NO.sub.2. The output of the second inverter is high only if the NO.sub.2 gas concentration is greater than 1 ppm. Due to the NO.sub.2 gas sensitivity of the TFT sensor 100 in the master branch 1710, the current I.sub.2 will decrease such that the input voltage at the first inverter 1730 exceeds its output high logic value, which makes the output of the second inverter logic high. In one application, a hex-inverter may be used in the microsystem 1700.

[0081] FIG. 18 shows that when the voltage received by the second inverter 1732 is below a given threshold 1734 (e.g., 1.8 V), a digital 0 is generated as the output of the second inverter 1732, as shown in FIG. 18 for the situation corresponding to the 1 ppm. However, when the voltage is above the given threshold 1734, a digital 1 is generated, for example, for the situations shown in FIG. 18 as corresponding to 2.5 ppm and 5 ppm. The supply voltage V.sub.DD1 to the secondary branch 1720 may be selected to make the inverters output a digital 1 at any desired concentration in ppm of the NO.sub.2 gas, not only the 1 ppm. For simplicity, this embodiment has been discussed for a 1 ppm threshold. However, those skilled in the art would understand that by changing the supply voltage V.sub.DD1, any concentration in ppm of the NO.sub.2 gas may selected to be the threshold between the 0 and 1 bits.

[0082] While the detection system 1700 illustrated in FIG. 17A was designed to produce a zero value when the NO.sub.2 gas concentration is below a given threshold, and a one value when the gas concentration is above the given threshold, it is possible to use the IGZO sensor 100 in an improved system 1900 to obtain a n-bit digital output that offers a higher resolution of the gas concentration, as now discussed with regard to FIG. 19. The system 1900 has in addition to the master branch 1710, and the secondary branch 1720 of the system 1700, more secondary branches 1920-1 to 1920-n, where n is any natural number equal to or larger than 1. Each secondary branch 1920-n has the same configuration as the secondary branch 1720, i.e., all the transistors T4 to T.sub.2n+1 are encapsulated IGZO TFT, and all the gates of these transistors are connected to each other and all their sources are connected to ground. Thus, for the n-bit digital output of the system 1900, there is a need of 2n+1 passivated TFTs and one TFT sensor 100.

[0083] As a practical implementation, the system 1900 was configured as a 3-bit microsystem, as illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21. Any number of bits may be used for the system 1900, depending on the desired accuracy. The integrated system 1900 quantifies the NO.sub.2 gas concentration and gives a 3-bit thermometer code. The first branch is the master branch with the IGZO TFT sensor that controls the current in rest of the three secondary branches. Voltages V.sub.DD1, V.sub.DD2, V.sub.DD3 are tuned to make the transition at the inverter's output for the NO.sub.2 gas concentrations of 1, 2.5 and ppm respectively (which are illustrated in FIG. 21). Note that each of the secondary branches has its own inverter(s). In one application, it is possible to have the same V.sub.DD for all the branches, but to have different constant current or reference current values, the upper encapsulated transistors in the secondary branches have to have different dimensions (width and/or length). This is so because the various lengths and/or widths of the upper transistors result in different reference currents in each of the secondary branches of the circuit.

[0084] A transient analysis was carried out with the integrated system 1900 in the gas chamber 702 (see FIG. 7) and the system 1900's response was evaluated from 0.5 ppm to 5 ppm NO.sub.2 gas concentrations for 3 minutes. The sensor 100 was regenerated with the blue LED, as discussed in the preceding embodiments. FIG. 20 shows the voltages at the first inverter's input node varying with the NO.sub.2 gas concentration, and the corresponding digital output at three second inverters (V.sub.Bit-1 to V.sub.Bit-3) corresponding to each secondary branch. It is noted that the three thresholds gas concentrations set up by adjusting the supply voltages V.sub.DD1, V.sub.DD2, V.sub.DD3 were 1, 2.5, and 4 ppm (see FIG. 21). Thus, whenever a secondary branch detected a voltage that is higher than the voltage associated with the set up gas concentration thresholds, the output V.sub.Bit was 1, otherwise 0. This means that the system 1900 produced the following results; 000, 001, 011, and 111, corresponding to the inverters of the three secondary branches, and each sequence of bits corresponds to a different gas concentration. The 3-bit digital output of the microsystem 1900, which is shown in FIG. 21, quantifies the NO.sub.2 gas concentration without any need of a sensor readout and ADC circuits. Thus, this configuration of the system 1900 makes it easy to plug and play the microsystem in any sensing system. One skilled in the art would understand that by having fewer or more secondary branches, the accuracy of the measured gas concentration can be adjusted as desired.

[0085] A different system 2200 is now discussed with regard to FIGS. 22A and 22B, and this system, called herein a sequential system, is configured to detect the NO.sub.2 gas concentration and digitally quantify its value. The system 2200 sequentially determines each digit associated with the NO.sub.2 gas concentration, i.e., if the overall digital code associated with the NO.sub.2 gas concentration is 101, the system first determines the first digit 1, then the second digit 0, and then the third digit 1. In this configuration, the IGZO TFT sensor 100 in the diode configuration is cascoded with a passivated TFT T1, as shown in FIG. 22A. The TFT sensor 100, which is at constant bias, controls the current in the branch based on the ambient conditions, whereas the passivated TFT T1 is operated with the specific gate voltage (V.sub.GS), which maintains the constant current level in the branch. By tuning the V.sub.GS voltage of the passivated TFT T1, the base current in the branch can be maintained at different levels, and thus, the voltage (V.sub.inv) at the input of the inverter 2230 node can be tuned as desired. FIG. 22B shows the actual structure of the sensor 100 and the passivated TFT T1, where the un-passivated sensor 100 and the passivated transistor T1 are shown formed on the same substrate 101. The passivated transistor T1 has the same structure as the sensor 100, except for the Parylene-C layer 2212, which fully covers the active layer 106.

[0086] The change in the NO.sub.2 gas concentration at the sensor 100 induces changes for the V.sub.th and I.sub.D of the TFT based sensor 100, and the V.sub.inv changes correspondingly. The inverter 2230, when receiving a voltage that depends on the voltage generated by the sensor 100 and the constant voltage generated by transistor T1, is calibrated to generate a logic high when the measured voltage at sensor 100 is above a certain NO.sub.2 gas concentration. Plural gas concentrations, as shown in FIG. 23, are associated with plural voltages V.sub.GS, that are applied to the transistor T1. Thus, each of the voltages V.sub.GS applied between the gate G and source S of the transistor T1, is associated with a corresponding NO.sub.2 gas concentration, and thus, these voltages are sequentially applied to the sensor T1 after which the inverter generates a logical value 0 or 1. This process is illustrated in FIG. 24, where the top part of the figure illustrates the various voltages V.sub.GS that are sequentially applied to the sensor T1, the middle part of the figure illustrates the voltage V.sub.inv received by the inverter 2230 from the sensor 100 and transistor T1, and the lower part of the figure illustrates the logical values generated by the invertor 2230 as a result of the received voltages, i.e., the digital code corresponding to each measured gas concentration. In this specific example, the voltages V.sub.GS were selected to correspond to the gas concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2.5, 4, and 5 ppm. Those skilled in the art would understand that more or less voltages V.sub.GS and associated gas concentrations may be selected, and also that other gas concentrations may be selected with the desired voltages.

[0087] The system 2200 is configured in this embodiment to include the first transistor 100 having a gate G electrically connected to a drain D, a second transistor T1 having a gate G connected to a variable power source 2210, and the inverter 2230 being connected to a source S of the first transistor 100 and a drain D of the second transistor T1.

[0088] The system 2200 can in fact be operated in two modes. In a first simplified mode, it can be operated by applying a constant V.sub.GS voltage that can be tuned to detect a particular concentration of the NO.sub.2 gas, such that the inverter 2230's output will be the logic high in the presence of the NO.sub.2 gas (calibrated concentration). For the second mode, the system 2200 can be operated sequentially, to obtain a digital output like the flash mode discussed with regard to FIG. 17. Multiple VGS amplitudes are tuned to make the V.sub.inv reaches the threshold (input logic low of inverter) of the inverter to trigger a transition for various NO.sub.2 concentrations. Passivated TFT T1 is continuously biased at one of the possible VGS voltages, and when there is NO.sub.2 gas exposure, the inverter triggers a transition after a specific concentration is detected. To obtain the concentration output digitally, the V.sub.GS voltage (tuned voltages) is stepped and the corresponding output can be read. By reading the corresponding output, the NO.sub.2 gas concentration can be quantified as illustrated in FIG. 23.

[0089] This second mode of operation of the system 2200 can be very power efficient and more compact, but at the cost of the speed in detection as each digit in the final code is generated in succession, one by one. A transient analysis that was carried out by exposing the system 2200 to various NO.sub.2 gas concentrations (from 0.5 ppm to 5 ppm) and the response of this configuration is illustrated in FIG. 24. The V.sub.GS voltage for 5 different levels was calibrated to have an output logic high for five different concentrations of the NO.sub.2 gas and the voltage was applied sequentially to the sensor after the exposure to the NO.sub.2 gas. At each concentration, V.sub.inv (see FIG. 24) is shown corresponding to the applied V.sub.GS voltage. When V.sub.inv crosses the threshold voltage (1.8 V) for the input logic low, the output of the inverter makes a transition to the logic high (‘1’). The digital output quantifying the NO.sub.2 gas concentration for n=5 is shown in FIG. 24, bottom part, i.e., 11000 (for concentration >1 ppm). In this configuration, only one TFT sensor 100 and one passivated TFT transistor T1 are used as the n-levels of the voltage V.sub.GS are tuned to obtain the n-bit digital output.

[0090] The performance of the IGZO sensor 100 as a chemi-resistor is now discussed. Apart from using the sensor 100 in the TFT mode, it can also be operated as a chemi-resistor. The baseline resistance of the semiconducting IGZO channel 106 is in the order of mega ohms due to the interdigitated electrode configuration, which allows the sensor 100 to be used as an IGZO based chemi-resistor. The top interdigitated electrodes 108A and 108B of the IGZO TFT sensor 100 are connected in this embodiment to the two terminals of an LCR meter while the gate 102 is floating, and the NO.sub.2 gas response is evaluated by measuring the resistance vs time in the Cp-RP mode of the LCR meter at 10 kHz frequency and repeated transient analysis as previously discussed. A significant variation in the resistance is observed in this mode, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, and the recovery of the device is achieved through the illumination by the blue LED after each exposure. The change in the resistance of the sensor 100 further confirms the change in the conductivity of the IGZO thin-film 106 due to the adsorption of the NO.sub.2 gas. During the recovery period, the conductivity of the channel 106 improved by the photo generated carriers after illumination by the blue LED. The decrease in the conductivity of the channel 106 is exponential with the increase in the concentration of the NO.sub.2 gas. This multi-transduction behavior of the IGZO TFT 106 allows the implementation of the sensor 100 as a NO.sub.2 gas sensor either in the TFT mode discussed above with regard to the systems 1700 and 2200, or in the chemi-resistive mode. The TFT mode provides a linear response whereas the chemi-resistor mode provides an exponential response, as illustrated in the insert of FIG. 25A.

[0091] The above discussed embodiments provide various configurations of smart integrated sensory microsystems, and demonstrate a 3-bit digital output in the flash mode and a 5-bit digital output in the sequential mode. The digital output is in a thermometer code format proportional to the NO.sub.2 gas concentration. The microsystems discussed with regard to the figures are sensing units without the traditional readout circuits, which means that they are inexpensive, compact and easily deployable in large scale for air quality monitoring. The common component of the above systems is the IGZO based gas sensor for the low concentration of the NO.sub.2 gas detection. The specific composition of the IGZO thin-film discussed herein is the first report of a metal oxide TFT based gas sensor for room temperature sensing that uses light activation to regenerate the sensor. The IGZO thin-film is used as both an active layer for sensing the gas and also as a channel layer for the fabricated IGZO TFT sensor. The surface of the active IGZO layer is oxidized at room temperature due to the adsorption of the NO.sub.2 gas, thereby significantly increasing the resistance of the channel, which results in the shift of V.sub.th and I.sub.D. Thus, the IGZO based sensors show an excellent sensitivity of 12 nA/ppb and 15 mV/ppb for I.sub.D and V.sub.th respectively. Furthermore, the selectivity performance of these systems was investigated by comparing with different oxidizing and reducing gases. Two configurations were discussed herein, i.e., 3-bit and 5-bit gas concentrations to digital converters (GCDC) incorporating readout and ADC modules with the IGZO TFT as the basic element of the sensor. However, the embodiments discussed herein are applicable to any n-bit system. The limit of detection of the sensor was found to be as low as 100 ppb. The developed microsystems have the potential to be integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) nodes for smart cities. Moreover, the developed sensor can also be used as a chemi-resistor for the NO.sub.2 gas detection.

[0092] FIG. 26 is a flow chart of a method for measuring a gas concentration with the IGZO based sensor 100. The method includes a step 2600 of exposing a first transistor 100 having an IGZO thin-film 106 to a gas while at room temperature, a step 2602 of generating a sensing current through the first transistor 100 as the IGZO active layer directly interacts with the gas, a step 2604 of generating a reference current through a second transistor (T1), wherein the second transistor (T1) is identical to the first transistor 100, except that a corresponding IGZO thin-film of the second transistor (T1) is fully encapsulated to prevent an interaction with the gas, a step 2606 of supplying the sensing current and the reference current to an input of the inverter 1730, 2230, a step 2608 of outputting a digital value at an output of the inverter that is indicative of the gas concentration, and a step 2610 of reviving the first transistor by illuminating the IGZO thin-film 106 with blue light at room temperature.

[0093] The disclosed embodiments provide an IGZO based sensor for detecting a gas concentration. In one embodiment, the sensor is integrated with a low power circuit for directly and digitally providing an output illustrative of the measured gas concentration. It should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, in the detailed description of the embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the claimed invention. However, one skilled in the art would understand that various embodiments may be practiced without such specific details.

[0094] Although the features and elements of the present embodiments are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein.

[0095] This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

REFERENCES

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